Authors: Susan Lewis
‘A porter,’ she said to herself. ‘Dad! Annalise! Oh God, I haven’t told them I’m going.’
She ran back inside to the telephone. There was no reply from either Annalise or Phillip and she’d already forgotten the porter.
‘Damn it!’ she muttered as she got to the door. Well, there was nothing else for it, she’d drag the case up to reception herself. She walked outside and picked up the case.
‘You going some place?’
Corrie spun round, gasped and dropped her case. Cristos
was
standing at the entrance to the balcony, leaning against the door-frame. ‘Oh my God!’ she cried, and flew into his arms. ‘Oh Cristos! Why didn’t you tell me … Where were you calling from …? How did you get here? Richard said …’
‘How about one at a time,’ he laughed.
She shook her head trying to make sense of everything. ‘Five minutes ago you were in LA,’ she said.
‘Uh-uh. Five minutes ago I was in the lobby.’
‘But when did you get here?’
‘Ten minutes ago. Now how about you kiss me before the real interrogation starts?’
It was a long embrace and by the time it was over Corrie wasn’t at all sure she wanted to know the details until much, much later.
‘Hello there, you two,’ Phillip called from the next balcony.
Corrie turned to look at her father. She looked at Cristos then back to her father. ‘You knew he was here, didn’t you?’ she said to Phillip. ‘You knew all the time …’
‘I’ll leave you to do the explaining,’ Phillip grinned at Cristos. ‘Annalise and I will be in the restaurant if you want to join us for a late breakfast,’ and he disappeared.
‘So,’ Cristos said, picking up the suitcase and carrying it back into the villa, ‘Richard told me you changed your mind. You’re coming to Hollywood?’
‘Yes. Well, if you still want me,’ she answered, following behind him and reaching out to touch him as he put the case on the rack. ‘Well, yes, I guess you do or you wouldn’t be here. Are you really here? I can’t believe you’re really here.’
‘You want another one of those kisses, just to make sure?’
‘Mmm,’ she nodded eagerly.
‘Well you’re gonna have to wait. I want to hear what decisions you’ve reached.’
‘OK. Well, I’ve thought about it a lot … Come and sit
down
and I’ll tell you. But first I want to know what you and my father have been up to.’
‘Just a couple of phone calls. Nothing more,’ Cristos grinned, allowing her to lead him to the sofa. ‘Now, go on.’
‘Well, I thought that I could still make the programme about Siobhan, but I could make it with an American TV company. Of course I would need your help to get in, and I’d need you to point me in the direction of some good writers, and actors of course. Well, actually they’ll have to be British. Anyway, child abuse happens all over the world, not just in England. So I thought … Cristos you’re laughing at me.’
‘No, no,’ he said, holding up his hands. ‘It all sounds great so far. What happens next? After you’ve made the programme. Providing I can fix you up that is.’
‘I haven’t thought that far yet,’ she confessed. ‘And I have to admit it does bother me. I mean, what would I do in Hollywood while you’re away making your multi-million-dollar movies?’
‘You’re asking me?’
‘Yes.’
He shrugged. ‘I guess you’ll be too busy bringing up our kids to think about it.’
She kicked him. ‘Be serious.’
‘I was being serious. But I guess you’re not going to be happy unless you have a career. Maybe you’ll find one in American TV.’
Corrie screwed up her nose and he laughed.
‘British through and through,’ he remarked. ‘Think your TV’s better than ours, don’t you?’
‘Yes,’ she said frankly.
‘But you would make the programme about Siobhan in the States?’
‘So that I could be with you, and just so long as it’s not sponsored by some ghastly company who want their tasteless product in every shot.’
‘I see. What about your father and Annalise?’
‘We’ve talked about it, Phillip said he didn’t mind me leaving, but …’
‘You don’t really want to leave them?’
‘No. But for you I would.’
He laughed and drew her into his arms. ‘I guess I’d better come clean,’ he said. ‘You don’t have to live in Hollywood to be with me, Corrie. You don’t even have to make your programme with American TV. You can make it with TW, in London.’
‘I don’t understand,’ Corrie said, suddenly afraid that he was telling her he didn’t want her.
‘We’re going to live in London,’ he said.
Corrie stared at him, open-mouthed. ‘London?’ she repeated.
‘That’s what I said. I, Corrie Browne, am giving up Hollywood to come to you.’
‘No! But you can’t do that. What about your films?’
‘They make films in Europe, don’t they? I speak Italian and French, remember. And I went to film school in London. I’ve always had a notion to shoot a European movie.’
‘You never said before.’
He simply raised his brows.
‘You mean you’ll give up all that for me?’ she said breathlessly.
‘Sure. You were going to do it for me.’
‘But Cristos, it’s different for you. I mean, you’re, well, you’re you. Everyone in Hollywood wants you.’
‘They’ve had me,’ he laughed. ‘And I’ve got another surprise for you. How about I direct your programme for you?’
‘You?’
‘Yeah, why not?’
‘But you don’t direct TV. I’ll bet you don’t even know how to direct video.’
‘You’re right, I don’t. But I can direct film, and take it from me it’ll have a far greater impact on film.’
‘But you only shoot with 35mm. TW would never be able to run to that sort of budget.’
He looked at her, then slowly she started to laugh.
‘Of course, with your name, we’ll get all the finance we want.’
He nodded. ‘So how about it? You going to give me a job?’
She shook her head in amazement. ‘God! What is everyone going to say? Cristos Bennati gives up Hollywood to work in British TV.’
‘To make one TV programme,’ he corrected her, ‘done for cinema release first. Then back to movies.’
She looked at him. ‘No,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘I can’t let you do it. I can’t let you give up Hollywood. It’s your whole life.’
‘Jesus, God Almighty, what does a man have to do? I’ve said I’ll come to England …’
‘No, this is important Cristos, it’s …’
‘Corrie, you’re the most difficult, most contrary woman I’ve ever met in my life. Now to hell with it, will you marry me?’
‘No!’
‘You damned well will.’
‘All right then, I will. But I can’t let you …’
‘Corrie, shut up!’
‘I will not.’
‘Just do as you’re told for once in your Goddammed life!’
Corrie grinned.
‘Now listen to me. I am coming to London, we are going to find ourselves a house to live in, and in case you don’t realize it you just, thirty seconds ago, agreed to marry me. You know what that means don’t you?’
For a moment Corrie looked blank, then slowly she started to smile.
‘You do. Good. Then let’s have it.’
‘Just like that? Sitting here like this?’
‘Just like that. Sitting here like this.’
‘OK. I love you, Bennati.’
‘I guess you do at that,’ he said, but his eyes were serious now, and pulling her into his arms he kissed her. ‘So just how soon are you going to make an honest man of me?’ he asked a while later.
‘As soon as you like.’
He nodded. ‘That’s good, because I thought we might do it Saturday.’
‘Saturday!’
‘Sure. Where are you going?’ he said as she headed off towards the telephone.
‘To call Paula. I have to tell her.
Saturday!
’
Cristos looked at his watch, then standing up he followed her to the phone and pressed the connectors as she was half way through dialling.
‘What are you doing?’ she said as he sat down on the bed and pulled her towards him.
‘Paula already knows,’ he said.
‘What? How?’
‘Annalise told her, yesterday. And my guess is she and Dave will be landing in Barbados in a couple of hours’ time.’
‘Barbados!’
‘Yep. They’ll get a connecting flight to Grenada this evening. They might even meet up with Jeannie and Richard.’
‘Jeannie and Richard! Cristos, what has been going on?’
‘They’re all coming for the wedding. My parents arrive tomorrow.’
Corrie shook her head. It was all too much to take in. ‘You were so sure I’d say yes?’
He nodded.
‘I hate you.’
‘Sure you do.’
‘Is there anything else you haven’t told me?’ she said.
‘Yep. We’re going to be married on my yacht.’
‘Your yacht? But you don’t have a yacht.’
‘Sure I do. I hired a crew to sail it in from Tortola, it should be here by now. And after the wedding you and I are going to sail off alone for our honeymoon.’
‘Do I get any say in this?’
‘No.’
‘But what am I going to wear?’
‘You look mighty fine to me as you are,’ he grinned, running his hands over her bottom. ‘What you wearing underneath this thing, by the way?’
‘Nothing. What are you going to wear?’
‘I’ll find something.’
‘I can’t believe it,’ Corrie said, sitting down next to him. ‘There’s been a real conspiracy going on here, hasn’t there? But why didn’t you tell me what you were planning?’
‘I wanted it to be a surprise,’ he answered.
‘And you say Paula and Dave are coming here? But they don’t have the money to …’ She looked at him. ‘You’re paying for them, aren’t you?’
‘I kind of thought you’d want them here when you got married,’ he answered. ‘But I guess I’ll have to stop indulging you this way or I’ll end up bankrupt. Now,’ he murmured, pulling open her sarong and pushing her back against the pillows, ‘tell me you love me again, I’ve kind of got a taste for hearing … Ouch!’ he yelled as she suddenly sat bolt upright.
‘
Saturday!
’ she cried. ‘We’re getting married on Saturday?’
‘I thought that’s what we just agreed,’ he answered, rubbing his head.
‘But today’s Wednesday. I don’t have time to play around here. There’ll be a hundred and one things to do.’ She leapt up from the bed. ‘Where am I going to get my
hair
done? What about flowers? Food? Wine? Then there’s the vicar. We’ll have to find a vicar. Oh, Cristos, why did you …? Cristos! What are you doing? Cristos, put me down. You’ll break your back.’
‘Corrie,’ he said, carrying her back across the room, ‘if we’re gonna be a team then you better get used to who’s giving the orders round here,’ and he dropped her onto the bed.
‘Oh, I already know that,’ she grinned up at him.
He laughed at the mischievous look in her eyes. ‘Then tell me you love me.’
‘Oh my! You think it’s you,’ she declared, but as he advanced purposefully towards her she shouted, ‘I love you, I love you, I love you.’
‘Not bad,’ he said, ‘but I reckon you could do a whole lot better …’
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Published by Arrow Books 2009
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Copyright © Susan Lewis 1993
Susan Lewis has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work
This novel is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental
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First published in Great Britain in 1993 by
William Heinemann
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ISBN 9780099534297